HOMICIDE detective Superintendent Scott Griffiths - star of Forensics: The Real CSI - hopes being featured in the TV documentary about the West Midlands Police forensics team will give his children an idea of what their dad does and why he's sometimes barely at home.

Supt Griffiths is a senior investigating officer (SIO) for the homicide team and deals with the most serious and tragic of crimes in the region.

The 47-year-old family man, who has worked for West Midlands Police for 24 years and as a detective for 20, featured in the second episode of reality show, which is running on BBC Two.

He said of his role: “I’m in people’s lives when they don’t want you there, that’s a heavy weight to carry and a huge responsibility.

“In my 20s I was personally affected by the tragic death of someone I knew and I saw first-hand how this impacted on the family and all those around them. I always think of this when I’m dealing with victims’ families.

“This is personal to me, I feel it’s my personal responsibility to bring a team of officers together to find those responsible for taking away the person they loved."

He said at times his family life has had to be sacrificed to ensure he gets the job done and he added: “This is not just a job, it’s all consuming and when a murder happens you have to dedicate your time and sacrifice your family life to ensure that you get justice for the victims’ families and loved ones.

“I’m lucky, I’ve got a very understanding wife and two children, I couldn’t manage the pressure of work and home life without them. They know that when I’m running a murder investigation they probably won’t see me for at least the first two weeks. The hours are long and intense and across the teams we are consistently trying to manage the demands of running multiple murder investigations at the same time.

“I’ve missed key moments of my children’s lives, I remember arranging to take my son to the Molineux for the first time to watch my team Wolverhampton Wanderers and getting a call to say that there had been a murder and I was unable to finish work to take him. I had to make that dreaded call to my wife and she had to take our son to the match, she wasn’t that understanding that day, especially because she is a West Bromwich Albion fan.

“It’s moments like that I know I will never get back but I hope that by watching the documentary my children get a bit more of an understanding of what dad does."

And he says that he couldn’t do his job without his team of dedicated investigators behind him.

He continued: “I am lucky that I am surrounded with good and dedicated people, who put the hours in and have the same work ethic, managing the same demands, making the same sacrifices. These are the people that you rely on, especially at challenging times, when you need someone to lighten the conversation, relieve the pressure, that at times we all feel.

“I’m always humbled by the professionalism and dedication of my teams, working 14-hour days during a murder investigation, working rest days without question, a real feeling of being in it together.

“The first 28 days are crucial in a murder investigation. There’s multiple scenes that need to be managed, CCTV that needs locating, collecting, reviewing and working with the forensics team is crucial to be able to make progress with these investigations.

“It’s a long, intensive 28 days and the resources that are needed to manage the scenes, to stand on cordons and to support enquiries is huge. The impact a murder has ripples across communities and we have to plan and address this and it’s a huge effort from everyone within the organisation."

Supt Griffiths, however, has just moved into a new department and is now adjusting to new patterns. He said: “I’ve moved to another role and it’s an adjustment for me and everyone at home. My family have got so used to not seeing me they are now having to adjust to me getting home in time for the evening meal and before bed time, a time of transition for us all."

But he says he's already starting to "miss homicide, the team, the challenges investigating murder brings and the getting justice for the families of the victims".

Missed any episodes of Forensics: The Real CSI? You can catch up on the BBC iPlayer.

Episode 3 airs tonight on BBC Two at 11.30pm.